Date Night and Ravioli Rapture!

Ok, first, I have to admit, this is not an actual photo of what I made...but there wasn't a bite left of what I made and this was the closest thing I could find, and I just wasn't thinking before we ate- I live in perpetual rapture over what ravioli I am going to eat next (photo credit and another recipe that looks good here: http://easyvegetariancuisine.blogspot.com/2011/05/asparagus-gruyere-ravioli.html)!  Now, on to the story...I had about 16 of these asparagus gruyere raviolis left, didn't look like quite enough for a meal (~He~ can eat!) so there they had been sitting in the freezer.  We were having the Philips Crabcakes from Costco for dinner (yes, even I take the easy route on date night once in a while, but these are actually pretty good) and I wanted to make a side dish, and thus the idea for a ravioli pasta salad.  I searched and found a few recipes, read through them, then went off to invent mine.  IT WAS INCREDIBLE.  I pretty much went with whatever I had on hand that you would find in an antipasto or pasta salad.  To recreate this moment of rapture you need: Some cooked and cooled ravioli, about 1-1,5 cups; about 1/4 c. chopped Vidalia onion; I chopped two purple bell peppers I had gotten at the farmer's market- size wise about the equivalent to 2/3 of a large green one; about 1/4 c. chopped olives; about a cup or a little more of grape tomatoes; chopped mozzerella cubes (the "good" kind you get at Costco :)); I added some black pepper and garlic salt from the grinders, then mixed about 2-3 T of EVOO and 1 T of Balsamic Vinegar, poured it over then blended it.  It wasn't an exact science. I let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours and thus a heavenly dish was born...suffice to say it blew away the crabcakes, but I am ok with that since I made it!

Farmers Market Season!

We are fortunate to have a very small (ten stands or less) farmers market up the street on Sunday afternoons in the summer.  But really, how many stands do you need?  I LOVE the markets in Montreal, Philadelphia, and other such cities, but end up circling it looking at pretty much the same thing at multiple stands.  Each of our stands is unique, with very few duplicates.  Today I scored some homemade cinnamon raisin bread (one of veggie boy's favorites!), a "rustic baguette" (dinner tonight!) and a loaf of Portugese Cornbread; this is one I got last summer and the entire family loved it with some honey butter (literally some Smart Balance and honey whipped together with the mixer)...can't wait to serve it tomorrow when they are all here!

 I also braved some rhubarb- I had some strawberries (unfortunately not locally grown but that is ok...), came home and perused the Food Network site, and settled on the simple but highly rated Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.  It is in the oven now, and I am hopeful it will be well received here!  My house smells like it took more effort than it did!

Now onto figure out what to do with the garlic scapes I purchased- often described as looking like a cross between an octopus and a green plant, these are basically the chutes from the top of the garlic bulb.  The seller said they last a long time, can be used like garlic, are great in pesto, as well as in marinades...I think I am going to go with a spin of a recipe I saw online and take the fresh baguette, spread some brie on it, then top with some garlic scapes, salt, and pepper...bake for a few minutes...sounds divine!

Update...several hours later...incredible dinner and dessert...and yes it is Sunday and you guessed it, we were chillin in our pajamas early!  And as always, doing my part to keep my curves curvy thanks to some good cooking!